Latest Agencies Headlines

All the headlines from our Agencies Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Bank Insurance Brokerage Fee Income Up 15% in Q1

Aug 4 2009 // First-quarter bank holding company (BHC) insurance brokerage income of $3.03 billion was up 15.0 percent from $2.63 billion in fourth quarter 2008, which marked the lowest point of quarterly insurance income since 2005,...

Seaworthy Launches Boat and Yacht Insurance Program

Aug 4 2009 // Seaworthy Insurance Co., which began in 1989 offering specialized boat insurance products to Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S), has launched a new line of commissionable boat insurance policies sold...

Language Leads Enterprising Agent Into Successful Niche

Aug 3 2009 // At first glance, Kathryn Soderberg seems an unlikely expert on marketing insurance to Hispanic customers, but the tall, fair-skinned Caucasian is a frequent radio talk show guest and leading Hispanic market-training...

New York Agents Plead Case for ‘Common Sense’ Disclosure Rules

Aug 3 2009 // Independent agent groups in New York State pleaded with regulators during a meeting last month to take a more “common sense” approach to proposed rules requiring agents to tell clients how they get paid.The...

Why Bankruptcy Rates Vary By State

Aug 3 2009 // In a previous edition of Insurance Journal (July 20, 2009, “Tackling Client Bankruptcy: How to Help Clients Work Through the Challenges of Business Bankruptcy”), Dean Mortilla, president of NIP Specialty...

People

Aug 3 2009 // Rolling Meadows, Ill.-based C. W. Olson and Co., an affiliate of the full-service insurance brokerage firm Associated Agencies Inc., promoted Matthew Meliker to executive vice president and in-house counsel.Meliker, a...

Why Bankruptcy Rates Vary By State

Aug 3 2009 // In Insurance Journal‘s last issue (July 20; Tackling Client Bankruptcy: How to Help Clients Work Through the Challenges of Business Bankruptcy), Dean Mortilla, president of NIP Specialty Brokerage, discussed what...

States Give a ‘Thumbs Up’ to Fingerprinting Insurance Producers

Aug 3 2009 // Don’t be alarmed, but there are convicted criminals roaming around the country acting as insurance producers. They could be robbers, forgers, possibly even rapists.They got their producer licenses in states that did...

People

Aug 3 2009 // Will Weston, vice president and principal of Blanchard & Calhoun Insurance Agency in Augusta, was elected president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Georgia, Inc. (IIAG) during the association’s recent...

How to Re-ignite Producers – and Other Employees – Who Have Lost Their Spark and become Too Comfortable

Aug 3 2009 // Al Diamond is one of the country’s best known agency management consultants. His firm, the Agency Consulting Group, is based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He deals with agencies across the country on issues ranging...

Why Bankruptcy Rates Vary By State

Aug 3 2009 // In a previous edition of Insurance Journal (July 20, 2009, “Tackling Client Bankruptcy: How to Help Clients Work Through the Challenges of Business Bankruptcy”), Dean Mortilla, president of NIP Specialty...

People

Aug 3 2009 // Teresa Miller was appointed administrator of Oregon’s Department of Consumer and Business Services Insurance Division. Miller joined the Insurance Division in July 2008 and has been serving as acting administrator...

Love of Language Leads Enterprising Agent Into Successful Niche Market

Aug 3 2009 // At first glance, Kathryn Soderberg would seem an unlikely candidate for an insurance agent whose expertise in marketing to Hispanic customers lands her gigs on radio talk shows and leading Hispanic market training sessions...

Common Insurance Mistakes Can Sink Boaters’ Finances

Aug 3 2009 // As boating season heats up once again, independent agents across the country may see clients who are re-evaluating their boat insurance needs, and looking to agents for advice.There are five common mistakes boat owners...

Why Bankruptcy Rates Vary By State

Aug 3 2009 // Twenty-four percent of agents and brokers have had business customers go into bankruptcy in the past two years; another 24 percent have had customers file for personal bankruptcy, according to a recent online poll by...

How to Re-ignite Producers – and Other Employees – Who Have Lost Their Spark

Aug 3 2009 // Al Diamond is one of the country’s best known and respected agency management consultants. His firm, the Agency Consulting Group, is based in Cherry Hill, N.J. He deals with agencies across the country on issues...

California Passes Budget Revisions

Aug 3 2009 // We are very concerned that the proposed sale appears to be driven by the need for cash.The California Legislature has passed the 2009-10 budget, instituting cuts and other measures to solve a $25.3 billion shortfall. The...

Doing More With Less

Aug 3 2009 // When asked to list the major strengths of their agency, most owners usually include the agency’s quality of service to the client. In the typical agency, the customer service representative is the foundation of good...

How Independent Agents View Super Regional Carriers

Aug 3 2009 // Main Street businesses may still be trying to recuperate from the recession, but independent insurance agencies report that it has not been as disruptive as initially predicted, an exclusive survey reveals.The survey...

M&A Activity Continues at a Snail’s Pace Compared to 2008

Aug 3 2009 // Insurance brokerage mergers and acquisitions in the second quarter of 2009 was nearly half of what is was during the second quarter of 2008. Just 39 transactions were announced from April through June compared to last year...